Newswise — Hunting enthusiasts can join football legend Archie Manning in a quest to help his hometown of Drew, and one lucky participant will win a duck hunting trip in the Mississippi Delta this winter with the CBS Sports commentator.
The fundraiser, a collaboration with the Drew Chamber of Commerce and the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation at the University of Mississippi, supports the restoration of a historic school, which will become the permanent home for the local Boys and Girls Club.
Tickets are $100 each for the Nov. 3 drawing. They are available at the Drew Chamber of Commerce, 129 Shaw Ave., Drew, MS 38737, by calling 662-745-8975 or by e-mailing The Drew Leader newspaper at [email protected]. All donations are tax-deductible.
The winner gets to join Manning in a hunt on a mutually agreeable date at the Fighting Bayou Hunting Club, located 15 miles from Drew. The prize includes overnight accommodations and breakfast for two at the lodge, plus a keepsake DVD documenting the event on film.
The Winter Institute has been supporting the restoration of Lil' Red school, a former Rosenwald school there, since 2001. It will be used for a community center once renovated," said April Grayson, documentary educator at the Winter Institute. "After initial funding of $400,000, we have secured funds totaling almost $200,000 from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and the Mississippi Arts Commission. We must now secure matching funds to access those grants."
Manning, an Ole Miss football standout in 1968-70 and former star quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, became involved in the Drew restoration project through a fortuitous series of events.
"Archie and I grew up together and graduated from high school in 1967," said Steve Shurden, executive director of Drew Enterprises. "He and I had not been in contact very much since then, but one day this year he called me up and asked me whether or not we were having a 40th anniversary class reunion. Archie was the class president, so I answered, 'You tell me.'"
Shurden said Manning had previously been contacted by the Drew police chief about contributing to the downtown renovation efforts.
"Archie really wanted to do something to help find a permanent location for our local Boys and Girls Club," Shurden said. "He comes home about once a year to duck hunt anyway, so I suggested he combine both the Boys and Girls and Lil' Red projects with one of his return visits. Of course, he agreed and the rest is history."
Jeff Andrews, another member of the Drew Chamber of Commerce board of directors, said hopes are high that the duck hunt will secure the $66,000 in matching funds needed for the Lil' Red renovation. "We started the Boys and Girls Club over a year ago and had more than 100 kids participating," Andrews said. "The program needs a permanent facility, which is what Lil' Red would provide." "Lil' Red project is a historic example of interracial cooperation," said Susan Glisson, director of the Winter Institute. "Even during the decades of segregation, whites and blacks came together to educate black school children. This project reflects the interracial spirit and hope for the future." For more information about the Lil' Red project, see http://www.drewrosenwaldschool.org. For more information about the Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation, call 662-915-1605 or visit http://www.olemiss.edu/winterinstitute/.(edwin smith)
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